This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application No. 60/603,902, filed Aug. 23, 2004.
The field of the invention pertains to signs and illuminated signs and, in particular, to signs having the graphics and text portion extended outward in front of the metal supporting frame. Such signs are commonly called pan face signs.
Conventional pan faced signs are constructed by modestly heating a sheet of rigid polycarbonate plastic, placing the sheet over a vacuum-forming mold and drawing the sheet down into the mold. After cooling, the graphics and text are added by applying paint, ink or vinyl pieces to the outside surface of the sheet. This construction requires a large heating oven and large vacuum-forming molds.
With a view toward eliminating the need for the specialized oven and vacuum-forming molds for making pan face signs, applicant has developed the following construction and method that only requires tools found in a typical sign shop.